I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to universal joints and more particularly, to universal joints having a male and female member.
II. Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of previously known universal joints in which a first member is rotatably coupled to a second member despite a misalignment of the axes of rotation of the members. Moreover, several of these previously known universal joints comprise a male and female member wherein the male member includes a male portion which is insertable into a female portion on the other member. The male and female portions are, of course, mechanically coupled so that rotation of either rotatably drives the other.
The previously known universal joints of this latter type, however, suffer many disadvantages unknown to the present invention. A prime disadvantage of this previously known type of universal joint is that the surface contact between the male and female portions is minimal and even further decreases when the male and female portions are axially misaligned. The minimal contact between the male and female portions provides a structurally weak universal joint which is prone to failure under high torque loads between the male and female members.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known universal joints in which only minimal contact is maintained between the male and female portions, is that such joints are noisy in operation. While the noise levels produced from these previously known universal joints has heretofore been ignored or disregarded, the new OSHA standards now provide limitations upon the maximum sound levels which are permissible within working areas. Consequently, continued use of the previously known universal joints oftentimes will violate the OSHA standards.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known universal joints is that such joints are fairly complex in construction and thus necessarily expensive to build. Moreover, many of these previously known universal joints are constructed with a multiplicity of components which additionally increases the overall cost of the universal joint.